Door check



DOOR CHECK Filed Aug. 5, 1955 /f/ l. m

Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to door checks, and one object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which can be applied to the door of an automobile and prevent the door from moving outwardly in an opening direction beyond a desired position. Therefore, the door may be opened in the usual manner but it will be prevented from swinging open its full extent when the handle is released and danger of the hinges being broken and a person injured by the door swinging violently open and striking them prevented.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door check of such construction that it may be mounted within a hollow door where it will be concealed from view, thus eliminating an unsightly door appliance and also preventing the door check from being easily damaged.

Another object oi the invention is the provision of a device of this character which will be controlled by the latch operating handle of the door and will control opening of the door but allow the door to be closed in the usual manner without interference by the door check.

The improved door check is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a View taken transversely through a door of an automobile with the improved check applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken transversely through the door check upon the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the elements forming the valve controlled piston of the door check.

This improved door check is primarily intended for use in connection with the door of an automobile and has been so illustrated but it will be obvious that it may be applied to any door which is hingedly mounted and provided with a latch having actuating means including a shaft rotatably mounted through the door and carrying a handle at one or both ends. The door I is of the usual hollow construction and at one side is hinged to the body 2 of the automobile by hinges, as shown at 3, and a latch of any desired construction will be provided to hold the door closed. This latch has operating means which includes a shaft 4 rotatably mounted through the door with its ends projecting and carrying handles 5 by means of which the shaft is to be rotated to release the latch and allow the door to be opened,

The construction so far described is a conventional formation.

The improved check has a cylindrical casing I5 which is disposed horizontally in the hollow door where it is mounted for pivotal movement 5 by a bearing bracket 'I pivoted to the casing midway the length thereof and firmly secured to the outer wall of the door. A partition 8 which extends longitudinally in the casing, divides it into chambers 9 and Ill and openings II and I 2 10 are formed through end portions of the partition to establish communication between the two chambers. Midway its length, the chamber 9 is formed with a valve casing I3 having opposed ports I4 formed therein and in this casing or -15 housing I3 is rotatably mounted a valve plug I5. This valve plug projects outwardly from the casing 6 and is formed with a stem I6 about which ts a gland I'I and when the gland is screwed into the cup or ilange I8, the packing I9 will be '2O compressed about the valve plug and leakage of oil from the valve housing will be prevented. A lever or arm 2|] is carried by the squared outer end portion of the stem I6 and pivoted to one end of a link or pitman 2| which extends trans- 25 versely in the door and at its other end is pivoted to a lever 22 carried by the shaft 4. Therefore, when the shaft l is rotated in a direction to release the latch of the door-and permit the door to open, the valve plug I5 will be turned in its 30 housing to a position in which its port 23 will register with the ports I4 of the housing I3 and oil may ilow through the chamber 9 from one end thereof to its other end.

A piston 24 operates in the chamber II), and 35 consists of a thick disc of strong metal formed with a threaded opening 25 at its center to receive the threaded end of a piston rod 29 which extends longitudinally in the chamber Ill and projects outwardly through a packing gland 2l 40 formed at one end of the chamber. This piston rod extends through an opening formed in the hinged side of the door and is pivoted to a bracket 28 carried by the wall of the automobile body and, from an inspection of Figure 1, it will be 45 readily seen that when the door is opened, the piston will be moved through the chamber IIJ toward the end thereof which communicates with the chamber 9 through the opening I2. A valve disc 29 lits loosely around the piston rod and its movement toward and away from the piston is controlled by headed pins or posts 30 carried by the piston and engaged through openings 3l formed in the disc. This disc serves to 55 control flow of oil through openings 32 formed in the piston and from an inspection of Figure 2 it will be readily seen that when the piston moves toward the right in this gure the valve disc will be held in tight contacting engagement with the piston to close the openings 32. Therefore, oil in the chamber I will be forced through the opening I2 into the chamber 9 and as the valve plug I5 is held open during opening of the door, the oil will ilow through the alined ports of the valve I5 and its housing into the other end portion of the chamber 9 and through the opening II back into the chamber I Il. As soon as the handle of the shaft 4 is released and the latch of the door returns to its extended position, the valve I5 will be closed and cut off movement of oil through the chamber 9. This will stop movement of the door and the door will remain in the opened position to which it has been moved and be prevented from continuing movement in an opening direction. Therefore, the door will be prevented from violently swinging open to such an extent that there will be danger of the hinges being broken and also danger of a person being struck and injured by the door eliminated. When the door is to be closed, it is merely necessary to push it in a closing direction and the disc will move away from the piston and allow oil to oW freely through the openings 32. Therefore, the door can be easily closed without interference by the door stop.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed asnew is:

`1. A door check including a casing adapted to be carried by a door and a piston having a shaft projecting from the casing for connecting with a door frame, a valve for controlling flow of fluid in the casing and movement of the casing and piston relative to each other, said valve being normally in position to prevent flow of iluid and movement of the piston and hold a door against movement in an opening direction, and means adapted to be carried by a door for adjusting the valve and permitting movement of the piston and opening of the door.

l2. A check for controlling opening of a door hinged at one side to a door frame, said check including a casing adapted to be mounted upon the door, said casing being formed with chambers having their ends communicating, a piston slidable in one chamber and provided with a piston rod projecting from an end of the chamber and having its outer end adapted to be pivotally connected with a door frame, a valve for controlling flow of iluid through the other chamber and' vwhen closed preventing ow of iluid and movement of the piston in a direction to permit opening of the door, and adjusting means for Said valve having an actuating element adapted to be carried by the door.

3. A check for controlling opening of a door hinged at one side to a door frame, said check including a casing adapted to be carried by the door, a partition extending longitudinally in said casing and dividing the same into chambers, openings being formed through said partition and establishing intercommunication between ends of said chambers, a valve housing intermediate the length of one chamber, a valve plug rotatable in said housing and normally in position to prevent flow of uid through the chambers, a piston slidable in the other chamber having a piston rod projecting from an end of the casing and adapted to be connected with the door frame, means carried by said piston for preventing movement of the piston longitudinally of the casing in a direction to permit opening of the door when the valve plug is closed, and means for moving the valve plug to an opened position having an actuating member adapted to be carried by the door.

4. A check for controlling opening of a door hinged at one side to a door frame, said check including a casing adapted to be carried by the door, a partition extending longitudinally in said casing and dividing the same into chambers, openings being formed through said partition and establishing intercommunication between ends of said chambers, a valve housing intermediate the length of one chamber, a valve plug rotatable in said housing and normally in position to prevent now of lluid through the chambers, a piston slidable in the other chamber having a piston rod projecting from an end of the casing and adapted to be connected with the door frame, means carried by said piston for preventing movement of the piston longitudinally of the casing in a direction to permit opening of the door when the valve plug is closed, a crank arm carried by said plug valve exteriorly of the casing, a rod having one end pivoted to said crank arm, a rocker shaft adapted to be journaled through said door, an arm carried by said shaft and pivoted to the other end of the rod, and a handle carried by said rocker shaft for turning the shaft and shifting the rod longitudinally to rotate the valve plug to an open position whereby iluid in the casing and said piston may move in a direction to permit opening of the door.

5. A check for controlling opening of a door hinged at one side to a door frame, said check including a casing adapted to be carried by the door, a partition extending longitudinally in said casing and dividing the same into chambers, openings being formed through said partition and establishing intercommunication between ends of said chambers, a valve housing intermediate the length of one chamber, a valve plug rotatable in said housing and normally in position to prevent ilow of fluid through the chambers, a piston slidable in the other chamber having a piston rod projecting from an end of the casing and adapted to be connected with the door frame, means carried by said piston for preventing movement of the piston longitudinally of the casing in a direction to permit opening of the door when the valve plug is closed, means for moving the valve plug to an opened position having an actuating element carried by the door and constituting a handle for the door, and a valve carried by said piston for preventing movement of the piston in an opening direction when the valve plug is closed and permitting movement of the piston in an opposite direction,

6. A check for controlling opening of a door hinged at one side to a door frame, said check including a casing adapted to be carried by the door, a partition extending longitudinally in said casing and dividing the same into chambers, openings being formed through said partition and establishing intercommunication between ends of said chambers, a valve housing intermediate the length of one chamber, a valve plug rotatable in said housing and normally in position to prevent fiow of iluid through the chambers, a piston slidable in the other chamber having a piston rod projecting from an end of the casing and adapted to be connected with the door frame, means carried by said piston for preventing movement of the piston longitudinally of the casing in a direction to permit opening of the door when and engaged through openings formed in the valve disc and provided with heads limiting movement of the disc away from the piston, said disc when moved away from the piston permitting movement of the piston in a direction permitting 5 closing of the door.

HOWARD C. HANSON. 

